Merkel Knows the Dealing Isn’t Done

29-Jun (Der Spiegel) — To the delight of investors and relief of her euro-zone counterparts, German Chancellor Angela Merkel made some key concessions at Friday’s EU summit. But the celebration is premature because she has still left herself plenty of room for maneuver.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel rarely sees these kinds of negative headlines when returning from European Union summits. During her over six years as the head of Germany’s government, she has usually been able to put a positive spin on even unpopular compromises.

…On the whole, the summit was a victory for the southern European countries. The summit’s decisions will reduce the IMF’s influence in Europe and give the European Commission a leading role in supervising reform efforts. One thing is clear: IMF officials will not seize control in Rome or Madrid. Since the beginning of the euro crisis, this possibility has been a thorn in the side of Mediterranean countries. Merkel, on the other hand, always wanted IMF participation because she doesn’t believe that EU monitors will be as ruthless.